"I don't see any difference at all other than maybe the amount of money involved"
Doo, when you need to raise money, generally you require a broker to underwrite it
Projects require lots of capital in stages. At each stage you require a broker.
These brokers ( that you say are all dodgy ) are the ones that decide whether they will underwrite the placement ( read prepared to advise their clients to trust management)
There is another way to avoid the brokers that you call dodgy. That is for shareholders to put up all the money. This is called a Share purchase plan. SPP's do not work for very large amounts needed towards the implementation stage
So Doo, if you want to write off the Brokers, you will run out of money and fail to unlock the potential.
DMA Price at posting:
19.5¢ Sentiment: ST Buy Disclosure: Held